


Say Something (I'm Giving Up On You)

by danrdarrenc



Category: Days of Our Lives
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2014-08-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 10:19:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2225400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danrdarrenc/pseuds/danrdarrenc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Geography Club!AU, focused only on the relationship between the two boys.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Say Something (I'm Giving Up On You)

**Author's Note:**

> This should make sense even if you haven’t seen the movie. A very very very late birthday present for Samuli! This is really long because I didn’t want to break it up into parts.

Sonny taps his pen anxiously against his desk as he stares absentmindedly at the computer screen. He is waiting for a response from the boy he wants to meet at the park. He doesn’t know for sure yet if he really is 100% gay - maybe bi - but he thinks meeting guys will help him figure things out.

He’s pulled out of his reverie when his messenger dings.

Meet you in the park in fifteen minutes. I’ll have sunglasses hanging out of my pocket.

Sonny hurriedly answers back.  
See you then! I’ll have a green T-shirt on.

His messenger dings again as he is pulling on his green shirt.

I’m not sure about anything, you know?

Yeah, no. Me too.

Great.

Sonny grins, swipes his keys off the table, and heads for the Salem Park.

___________________________

He waits fifteen minutes for the boy he’s meeting; when he decides the boy isn’t going to show up he turns and heads back towards Horton Town Square. Just when he is at the edge of the park and the plaza, Sonny bumps into someone who isn’t looking where he’s going.

When he looks up, Sonny realizes it’s Will Horton. They go to school together, only share a few classes, and don’t often speak to each other - Will is a decent student but he’s a jock and Sonny is bookish, labelled as a nerd by the other students at Salem High. 

"Sorry!" they say simultaneously. 

"Um. It’s Sonny Kiriakis, right?" Will asks.

Sonny nods. “You’re Will Horton. I’ve seen you around school.”

"Yeah." Will smiles a little, but shifts his eyes to a group of baseball players who are hanging around at the other side of the Square. "Well, I’ll see you around." A second later, Will is gone.

It isn’t until Sonny is walking away that he realizes Will has a pair of sunglasses hanging out of his pocket.

_______________________________

Two weeks later, their Advanced Placement Biology class is on an overnight class trip - supposedly to dig up fossils and understand how nature works by experiencing it - but so far Sonny has not found a single fossil nor is he any closer to having an understanding of plants or animals than he does from a classroom in Salem.

Two nights into the three-night trip, Sonny is unable to sleep so he pulls on his hoodie and pads out to the picnic benches outside the cabins in which they are sleeping. He stops when he finds Will Horton sitting on the top of one of the tables, a textbook and notebook open on his lap, a pencil in his hand.

"Couldn’t sleep?" Sonny asks, propping himself next to Will. 

"I have to finish this work before we get back to Salem and I need an A on it or I can’t play in the playoffs," Will says, tapping his pencil on his book and biting his lip in thought. 

"Can I help?" Sonny asks. Asking was a bad idea when he hears thunder rumbling in the distance and he knows instinctively that they are going to get caught in the rain. 

Will silently hands over the notebook. “So tell me, how did you run that fast for so long in gym the other day?”

"What do you mean?"

"Brainy dudes don’t usually have that kind of athletic ability," Will clarifies.

Sonny huffs out a laugh. “My family used to travel through Europe a lot before we settled back in Salem. My brothers and I climbed mountains during school breaks and on weekends. I built up endurance.” 

"You should do track or something," Will suggests, the thunder rumbling louder as the storm moves closer.

"I’m not really a doing sports kind of person. I’d rather watch. Besides my time is better spent doing work, getting grades that can help me get into Harvard or Yale."

"Why not do work and sports and go to Salem U or something. That’s what I’m doing," Will responds nonchalantly.

Sonny’s smile fades and he furrows his brows.

"Nevermind. Forget my help. I’m not gonna sit here and listen to you judge me." He slams the notebook into Will’s chest and hops off the table.

"No, hey. Wait a minute," Will says, following Sonny to the ground as the first raindrops start to fall.

Sonny stops and clenches his jaw but he doesn’t look at Will - at least, not until Will grabs the sleeve of his hoodie. Reluctantly, Sonny turns to face Will.

"I wasn’t judging you," Will says quietly, barely audible over the pouring rain and booming thunder.

They stare at each other for a minute, the sky flashing in the distance, until Will closes the gap between them, pressing their lips together. The kiss starts soft and unsure, their lips unmoving against each other, but then Will parts his lips slightly and Sonny responds in kind, shifting his head a little so their lips slot together more firmly. When he feels Will’s hand cup the side of his face, Sonny lets out a moan he isn’t sure can be heard over the raging storm around them and reaches up his own hand to tangle his fingers in the hair at the back of Will’s neck.

Just as their tongues are finding their way into each other’s mouths, there’s an “Oh my god!” from somewhere beside them and they jump apart, both looking like dripping wet deer in headlights. They turn to the sound and find Gabi Hernandez staring at them before running back inside her cabin.

"Shit," Will mutters. He grabs his books from the table and hurries into the boys’ cabin without saying a word to Sonny.

____________________________

The weeks following their kiss are torture for Sonny.

He reluctantly joins Gabi Hernandez’s little misfit group (she calls it the “Geography Club”) consisting of herself, her (secret) girlfriend Kinsey, and Tad Stevens who has been in a wheelchair since an accident when he was five. Gabi is really Sonny’s only friend and he figures it’s the least he can do for her since she’s agreed to keep his secret. (He’s gay. He’s sure of it now.) It’s also a useful way for him to keep his mind off of Will Horton and what happened at the campground. 

They have only talked once since - at night in the side garden off Horton Town Square just to make sure Gabi would not say anything about what she saw - and Will refuses to even meet his eye in the hallways at Salem High.

They have only one class together so they are able to avoid each other pretty easily for nearly three weeks until Will corners Sonny one day in the locker room after gym class.

"Hey," Will says.

"Hey," Sonny says warily.

"So, um, how’ve you been?" Will asks awkwardly.

"What do you want, Will?"

"You should join the baseball team."

"What?"

"You should join the baseball team," Will repeats.

"Why would I join the baseball team. I haven’t played baseball since I was, like, five."

Will steps closer. “Because then I would have an excuse to be near you,” Will whispers in his ear and then he is gone in a flash.

Sonny stands staring after him, stunned.

_____________________

As it turns out, Sonny only plays in one game. It’s the next to last game of the season (and the outcome will determine whether or not they make the playoffs) and he’s been sitting on the bench for seven innings when the center fielder twists his ankle in the process of making a spectacular catch. (At least he saved two runs from scoring.) Will waves him onto the field from third base and even smiles at him as he runs past Will into the outfield.

The last out of the seventh inning and all three in the eighth go smoothly without Sonny having to worry about catching a fly ball. It’s been a long since he’s played baseball but he still knows how to pick a ball off the ground and have a catch, so he does okay. But he starts getting nervous when the other team loads the bases in the ninth and there’s only one out so far. (Salem High is only ahead by two runs and he knows a ball going over his head will easily tie the game, if not give the other team the lead.) He relaxes a bit when their pitcher strikes out the batter for the second out but the game isn’t over yet and the bases are still loaded. 

Just as he’s thinking that he will get out of having to make a catch, the crack of a bat against a ball resounds through the stadium and out into the outfield. He watches in horror as the ball soars towards him; instinctively, he knows the ball is bound for over his head and he does the only thing he can think of: he turns around and runs toward the fence.

With his heart beating a mile a minute and adrenaline pumping through his veins, Sonny sticks his glove over his head and nearly faints when he feels the ball miraculously get stuck in his hand. He slows his speed and comes to a halt just in front of the fence, the ball safely in his glove. When he becomes aware of his surroundings again, Sonny realizes that the crowd is cheering.

He grins stupidly and jogs his way back towards the infield where the rest of the team is waiting for him. They all pat his back and pull him into a group hug - something he’s sure none of them will ever admit to having done when they are off the field - before heading off the field as a group.

On their way into the dugout, Sonny chances a glance at Will; there’s a soft smile on his lips and something Sonny thinks is pride shining in his eyes.

After they’ve all taken showers, and his teammates have congratulated him once again on saving the game, Sonny remains behind in the locker room for a few extra seconds to make sure he’s got everything. As fun as it was to be praised by classmates who don’t give him the time of day normally, he thinks that playing baseball just isn’t for him.

He’s stuffing his pair of batting gloves into his bag when he hears someone clear their throat. Sonny looks up and finds Will watching him.

"Oh, hi."

"You sure about quitting?" Will asks, taking a step forward. Sonny nods. "Well, that’s a shame. You were fantastic out there today." 

And before Sonny knows what’s happening, Will has their lips pressed together in a gentle kiss. It’s over in a second and Will is gone before Sonny even opens his eyes.

___________________________

The last week of October is unseasonably warm for Illinois. To celebrate, Sonny’s best friend Chad DiMera decides that he is going to do his very best to get laid by Abigail Deveraux. She agrees to go to the Green Mountain Lodge with him on one condition: they double date with Sonny and Melanie Jonas who has an obvious crush on Sonny.

Against his better judgment, Sonny agrees and the four of them check into the Lodge in lieu of the Halloween bash being thrown by the baseball team back in Salem. 

The evening starts relatively harmless, the four of them laughing together while they share two pies of pizza, soda, and potato chips, and Sonny and Melanie even takes bets on how long it’ll take before Abigail lets Chad touch her. 

It’s when Chad pops open a bottle of champagne that the evening takes a turn for the worse. It turns out that Melanie is a lightweight and she’s almost completely drunk after only her second glass. She gets giggly and loud and very handsy when she’s drunk. Sonny shifts uncomfortably on the couch in the suite Chad somehow managed to get when Melanie climbs into his lap and drapes her arms around his shoulders.

"Make out with me," Melanie flirts. "Come on, Sonny. I know you want to." She sucks his earlobe into her mouth without pretense.

Sonny tries to wriggle his way out from under her and he looks to Chad for help but it appears that all it took for Abigail to let Chad be with her is a couple glasses of bubbly. 

Panicked, Sonny mumbles, “I, uh, I don’t think this is a good idea.” and he makes another attempt to push Melanie off of him.

It only makes Melanie cling tighter to him, which, in turn, makes him angry. Sonny feels like he’s suffocating and the only thing he can think of is to physically pick her up off his lap and deposit her on the couch next to him. She squawks indignantly and he’s out the door before she starts yelling.

He hurries out of the Lodge and into the street in front. He sits down on the sidewalk and breathes in large gulps of fresh air. Without thinking, he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket, finds the name he’s looking for, and presses call.

* * * * * * *

Twenty minutes later, a car pulls up to the sidewalk and parks just shy of where Sonny is sitting. Sonny fiddles with the ends of his sweatshirt as Will steps out of the car and sits down next to him on the sidewalk.

"Thanks for coming," Sonny says flatly.

"Of course. What’s going on?" Will asks, shifting slightly so that their shoulders are brushing.

Sonny sighs and his lip trembles a little. “I came here with Chad DiMera and Abigail Deveraux and Melanie Jonas. It was a double date; me and Melanie and Chad and Abigail. I didn’t want to come but Chad pushed and he pushed and I gave in,” Sonny babbles almost in one breath. “I shouldn’t have come. It was so stupid.”

"Hey," Will says, putting a comforting arm around Sonny’s shoulders. "Why don’t you tell me what happened."

Sonny sniffles and leans into Will’s side. “Everything was going fine until Chad opened a bottle of champagne. Melanie’s a lightweight and she got drunk and she threw herself at me and I couldn’t handle it. I just couldn’t do it. She kept trying to get me to make out with her but I couldn’t do it.” Sonny’s words come fast and his breath comes out in short huffs in anxiety. “I had to physically pick her up and lift her off of me and then I ran out. She’s gonna spread it all around the school on Monday and I’m gonna be a complete joke.”

"Hey. Listen to me. Don’t worry about it. If she’s as drunk as you say she is, she won’t even remember it in the morning," Will assures him. It’s supposed to be sort of a joke but it only makes Sonny shake and sniffle harder.

Will looks over at him and sees tears coming down Sonny’s face. “I’m a joke,” Sonny mutters. 

Will takes the hand that’s not around Sonny’s shoulders and presses his thumb under Sonny’s face. He gently lifts Sonny’s face up and turns it so that their faces are inches apart. “You’re not a joke,” Will whispers as their noses brush together.

Sonny’s eyes search Will’s for a second before they lean their heads in even closer and their lips touch. It starts soft but then Will parts his lips ever so slightly and Sonny takes the opportunity to slide his tongue into Will’s mouth. As the kiss deepens, Sonny shifts his position so their chests are more parallel to each other and moves his hand to cup Will’s cheek. 

They kiss for what seems like an hour, Will sucking on Sonny’s lip, Sonny twisting his tongue around Will’s, until they can no longer breathe. They finally break apart, their lips swollen and kiss-bruised. 

Sonny doesn’t open his eyes right away but first lets his heart rate slow down to something close to normal. When he does open his eyes, it’s to Will watching him with a soft smile on his lips.

"Come on. I’ll drive you home." He holds his hand out for Sonny who takes it gratefully and follows Will into the car.

________________________

Sonny thinks after that that things might change. But he’s wrong; they actually get worse. The following week in school, Will pointedly avoids him. Sonny thinks Will just needs some time to get things settled in his head but after two weeks have gone by and Will has barely even made eye contact with him, he can take it no longer.

One day after school, Sonny corners Will at the equipment shed behind the high school. He grabs Will’s arm and drags him into the shed.

"Hey!" Will barks indignantly. "What are you doing?" he hisses.

"We need to talk," Sonny says, shutting the door behind him. "I know you know about the Geography Club and I know you know I’m in it. I know you also know what we’re planning on doing tomorrow," Sonny says without pretense.

"So?"

"So. I want you to come to the meeting. You being there can show everyone that it’s okay to different," Sonny answers earnestly and with a smile. Will is silent. After a beat, Sonny asks, "Are we in a relationship?"

"I don’t know how to answer that."

"It’s not a difficult question, Will. Are we in relationship or not? Do you want to be dating me? Just tell me if you don’t, it’s okay. But being in this limbo - it’s killing me."

"Why do we have to put a label on things? I don’t - I don’t want to be gay, Sonny. I can’t be gay," Will responded. Sonny clenched his jaw. "But, hey," Will says more softly, closing the space between them. "I really like being with you." He leans forward to press their lips together but Sonny pulls away.

"If you really care about me even a little bit, you’ll come to the meeting tomorrow. If not, we’re done because I can’t keep doing this," Sonny says before leaving Will alone in the shed.

______________________

Sonny taps his foot anxiously against the floor as his classmates intermittently file their way into the classroom. It looks like Gabi’s experiment has worked; a good number of students have decided to test the waters and come to the Geography Club’s open forum meeting - gay, straight, disabled, popular, unpopular, and everything in between.

He smiles at Gabi and Kinsey from across the room and gives them a thumbs up. He owes them a dinner for losing the bet they’d made about whether anyone would show up. 

He watches the parade of students take seats around the room, some in the cliques they inhabit during the day, other with people they never really talk to but think this is a safe place to begin a conversation.

He sighs as he looks up at the clock. Two minutes until the meeting starts and no sign of Will. He clasps his hands on top of the desk and almost silently prays that Will will not disappoint him. He watches the second hand turn into the next minute and his eyes dart to the door as it opens.

His heart skips a beat, his faith in Will restored; then the person comes into view but it’s only a girl with hair dyed in blue and purple streaks. Sonny blinks back tears and gives up. He knows in heart Will was never going to come. 

Outside the classroom and down the hallway, Will watches as girl with blue and purple hair enters the classroom where the Geography Club is meeting. He takes a careful two steps towards the door, willing himself to have the courage to go inside. He’s just about steeled himself into going when a group of his baseball friends laughs at the end of the hall.

Fear overwhelming him, Will turns from the classroom and walks away.


End file.
